Tomorrow just before Midday, the closing credits of ‘The Ray Hadley Morning Show’ will play for the final time, and the end of an era will dawn for Sydney radio.
As Premier Chris Minns said when Ray Hadley announced his retirement a couple of months ago, Sydney is a radio city.
Radio is where stories break, where the big interviews happen, where problems are fixed and where politicians often draw their final breath in terms of career viability.
From the days of Gary O’Callaghan on 2UE, to Doug Mulray on Triple M, the Morning Crew on 2DayFM and modern-day headline grabbers like Ben Fordham and Kyle and Jackie O, Sydney perhaps more than any other city in Australia has been captivated by its radio presenters.
And news talk radio has been at the forefront of radio’s power.
For decades now, AM radio has dominated the ratings – only from time to time has 2GB slipped from the top of the radio pile in the last 20 years.
And a big reason for that has been Hadley. A take no prisoners, fearless broadcaster, Hadley has been an agenda setter in Sydney since he first sat in the chair of 2GB mornings back in 2003.
Not all will be sad Hadley is going. Some have never understood his style, his approach, or forgiven his missteps away from the microphone.
Plenty of politicians and business leaders will be more than happy to not be fearing what may come up between nine and Midday every weekday. There will be collective sighs of relief across the political spectrum.
Like it or not, sometimes you need a champion of aggression to get the job done, and Hadley certainly was that.
Hadley’s departure is about more than just another announcer calling it a day.
It marks a significant shift for media in this city, and certainly a new direction for 2GB.
The pressure is now on Fordham to be the agenda setter, a role he previously shared with Hadley. Mark Levy will take time to find his groove in mornings, but is the logical choice to fill the chair.
But back to Hadley.
In many ways, his voice has played a significant role in my life.
I can remember vividly being in the car on the way back from a birthday lunch for my mum on August 31, 1997 when Hadley announced on air that Princess Diana had died following a car crash in Paris.
At that point Hadley was in the midst of his dominance in the sporting world as host of the Continuous Call Team, in an era where every rugby league game wasn’t broadcast live and the Internet was in its infancy.
Hadley was the voice of growing up as a footy fan – his tones the soundtrack of many Saturday and Sunday afternoons spent listening to rugby league growing up.
There are other poignant moments that stick with me vividly.
His ‘live call’ of a Jet Blue plane with landing gear trouble arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, a type of broadcast repeated last year when he provided up-to-the-minute commentary of a car chase through the streets of Sydney.
His incredible broadcast on the day of the Sydney Siege a decade ago, when the decision was made to suspend usual 2GB programming and keep Hadley on air for most of the day.
It was only by chance that Hadley was still broadcasting at that time of year. He’d stayed on air a week longer than his fellow presenters, who were all on summer break. His broadcast that day was gripping.
Emotional tributes to mates who have been lost along the way, like Peter Frilingos, Bob Fulton and more recently, David Morrow, were particularly emotional.
And if you’ve listened to Hadley long enough, then you probably feel like you’ve watched, or heard, his kids grow up.
From the days they’d phone in to say Merry Christmas during a Christmas Day broadcast, to first days of school, graduations, first jobs, career highlights and grandkids – listeners have followed the journey all the way through.
It has not always been a positive ride.
Hadley has admitted his failings many times, and there’s been the odd apology and legal issue along the way.
And while I’d never minimise the impact some of Hadley’s behaviour has clearly had on colleagues over the years, there’s no doubt that when you’re a fearless broadcaster who rose to prominence during the rough and tumble days of radio in the ‘80s, you’re going to get it wrong sometimes.
Hadley himself says he’s mellowed and grown, a feeling shared by many around him.
And so we reach this point: the end of the line for Hadley, and for one of the country’s most awarded broadcasters.
It’s ironic in many ways that he retires in the same year as John Laws, from whom he stole the morning radio crown more than two decades ago.
Laws kept plying his trade on 2SM long after his glory days and power had faded, and one suspects Hadley did not wish to go the same way.
Whatever may happen in the months and years ahead on Sydney radio, it will never be the same again without Hadley.
9.07am weekdays will not feel the same without The Wolverines’ ‘Murrumbidgee’ playing on the radio speakers, or being told we’ll need a note if we’re not on deck the next day as Hadley bids farewell at 11.59am each day.
The end of an era is an understatement.
Troy Dodds is a casual employee of Nine Radio.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.